Just Another JRPG
by Emmentaler
Summary: What do you get when you cross an amnesiac with a quest to save the world? You get an RPG. I know. I was surprised, too. Ch2-After talking to the giant magic glove, Shulk proceeds to bump into a tiny little alien with even tinier littler alien friends. At this point, Shulk begins to wonder if he actually is an amnesiac or if he's just on some reeeeally hard drugs.
1. Off You Go, Young Hero!

**Ah, where do I start with this one... This was an idea I had quite some time ago. The reason I didn't write it out then was because of one, very simple thing. I thought this story was very stupid. Now, months later, I've been thinking about this story a little more and I came to a conclusion. This story... Is still very stupid. I just feel very compelled to write it all of a sudden. Do you know what this is called guys? A** _ **mistake.**_ **It's fine though.** **I am the champion of making mistakes.** _ **I am a mistake.**_

 **...Sometime in the future, I will rephrase that statement. But anyways, as you may have guessed already, this fic is basically going to be an RPG parody. Complete with world saving and friendship and side quests and more friendship and other fun stuff. It's kinda cracky too, but kinda not sometimes. Maybe. I don't know. Don't take this fic too seriously, basically.  
**

 **Disclaimer: Naturally, I don't own anything in this story. I just have a blatant disregard for intellectual property. (Hey, it's a fanfiction site. Don't we all?)**

* * *

 _Sunlight filtered in through a crack in the roof of the cave, outlining the ruins that sat before them, half sunk in a depression in the earth. He eyed the remains with rapt attention, wondering what awaited them inside. No turning back now... He turned to the others, silently asking them for their support. One by one, he met each person's gaze, trying to determine their thoughts. Some were anxious, others scared or even eager to get going; all waited for him to lead them. Feeling more sure of himself, he took the first step and descended into the abyss._

 _It was just a matter of time now..._

* * *

Dark. Everything was dark. His mind was numb. He couldn't move his body. Yet somehow, it wasn't too unpleasant. There was something else, something calming. A sort of relaxing, gentle warmth covered him, much like a blanket of soft, velvety flower pet-

"HELLO?!" A booming cannon of a voice cut through his otherwise happy poetic thoughts. Startled, he lurched up and, for the first time, opened his eyes. The bright rays of the sun blurred his sight for a moment, but soon enough everything came into focus. Splashes of colorful flowers surrounded him and a bright blue sky stretched on endlessly above. And in front of him, a giant white glove floated in the air. He had a feeling that wasn't normal.

"My, my... It's about time you showed some life. I was beginning to think I was going to have to bury you! After all, we have enough flowers here to make for a very touching funeral." The hand, or at least he assumed it was the hand, spoke to him despite having no visible mouth. It leaned in close, as if examining him. "Well, you're a new face. Normally I wouldn't bother, but I so hate being in the dark about things. Tell me your name."

 _My name...?_ He reached up and ran a hand through his hair, trying to think. Everything in his mind felt so hazy...

The hand twitched impatiently. "Listen, I'm not asking you to recite every known species of Pokemon in order backwards here. Your name. Now."

* * *

 _Greetings, dear player! Forgive me for the sudden interruption, but if we are to continue with this story, our hero is going to need a name! If you would be so kind, please give this young man a name._

His name is FeelsBoi.

 _...Are you sure.  
_

Yes.

 _Are you absolutely sure about that._

Yes.

* * *

He scrunched up his face as he tried to pull something out of his memories. The further he dug, the more his head began to ache, but eventually a word floated to the surface of his mind. "FeelsBoi. That's my name... I think?" That seemed... very wrong to him somehow.

The hand floated there for a solid minute, neither moving or saying anything, before suddenly bursting out into laughter. "Oh ho! Oh ho ho! Very, very clever! I applaud you! Must have slaved over that genius name all night, am I correct? Oh ho!"

The young man shuffled awkwardly as the hand continued laughing that annoying laugh of his. As far as he was aware, it was only the two of them in the meadow, yet it felt as if the hand was speaking to someone else.

"Oh ho... But let's get real here." The hand said in a more serious tone. "Tell me your name. And don't even think about wasting anymore of my time."

It was then the clouds in his head shifted, and he recalled his true name. Thankfully. "Hold on... I remember now! My name is Shulk!" He was certain this time. The name held a note of familiarity with him.

"There. Was that so hard?" The hand chuckled again. "Well, it's good you managed to remember. For moment, I thought you were an amnesiac or something. Would've hated to be the one to have to sort out that mess."

Shulk's mood instantly deflated. "Err..."

"...Please tell me you're not."

He looked away. "I... I can't remember-"

The hand rudely cut him off. "Oh, _joy_. I know exactly which road this is heading down. The fault is mine, however. I should have realized it the moment I saw you." He floated uncomfortably close to him again. "Yes, that shiny hair, those gentle, almost feminine facial features, the silly, impractical looking sword-"

Shulk glanced over his shoulder, indeed finding the red hilt of a sword sticking out from behind his back.

"-on _top_ of having no memory and waking up in a meadow... Wait, did you steal that from someone? Oh never mind," The hand sighed, pulling back. "I'm sorry to say this, but you have all the markings of a typical RPG protagonist. The only thing you're missing is the whole 'silent' shtick, but the British accent is something different, I suppose."

 _I'm a... what did he say?_ "What exactly are you talking about...?"

"Forgive me. Let me put this in simpler to understand terms. Ahem. _You have a grand adventure ahead of you, young man!_ " He shouted in a mocking tone. "One of, er, adventure! Friendship! Et cetera!"

A bit freaked out, Shulk pushed himself to his feet, dusting off his clothes. "Maybe I should try to find some help..." He said, trying to walk past the hand. It was only seconds before the hand zipped in front of him again.

"Oh, hold on just a minute!" He snapped irritably. "The nerve of you... Walking away from me! Hmph. Do you even know how lucky you are?! If this were any other normal day for me, I would have not hesitated to incinerate you, taking great joy in doing so! I just happen to be very busy at the moment. I have a quest of my own you know."

The hand looked like he was waiting for him to ask. He really didn't want to. "...What kind of quest?"

"A mansion!" The hand said, pointing a finger to the sky. "You would never believe the sheer number of baseless accusations I receive each day. Heaps and heaps of letters from people I don't even know, all asking if they can tour or even _live_ in this 'mansion' I've apparently come into possession of. I live in a rift of Subspace on a dimensional plane parallel to this one. Alone. By myself. With my brother. Tell me, what do I need a mansion for?!"

A little taken aback from the outburst, Shulk eventually replied, "I guess you wouldn't... But why does it bother you so much?"

"I just really dislike the mailman. Always flying around, shouting 'Mail call!' and all that. I don't even know how he even managed to find where I lived... Regardless, I'm going to get to the bottom of this! I'll find the source of these rumors... or find out that I did indeed buy a mansion at some point. In the event that should happen, well, I suppose that would make us both amnesiacs then, oh ho!"

"Okay then..."

The hand finally found himself. "Ah that's right, speaking of amnesia. You have a bit of a memory problem, right? Well..." He snapped his fingers and in a poof of smoke, a cushy, red and gold armchair appeared behind him. He settled down in it, placing his thumb and pinky on the armrests. "It'd be in poor spirit of me to not at least try to help you a little. Do you think you might have anything that could help jog your memory?"

The teen closed his eyes and and brought his hand to his chin in thought. There _was_ something else he remembered, if that was even the right word for it. "While I was blacked out... I think I had a dream of some sort... Or was it a vision?"

"Well! We just might be on to something here. What was this vision of yours?"

He tried to conjure up an image of the vision. "I saw myself... Standing before some sort of ruins. I wasn't alone either. I'm not sure how many there were, but I'm certain there were three other people with me at the very least."

"Three people? That'd make for four in total then. What a bummer. I'd personally prefer a party of seven, or maybe eight, or-" the hand must have noticed Shulk's confused expression. "Ah, nevermind. Tell me about these three you saw. I might know of them... For better or for worse."

Shulk closed his eyes again, trying to bring up a clear picture. It remained foggy and distorted, flickering in his mind like ripples on the surface of a lake. In the end he was only able to see a few vague details. "I remember seeing a small creature, one I didn't recognise. It was holding a weapon, I think."

"Well, that's delightfully vague. Next!"

"The other two weren't much taller than the creature. They were wearing similar outfits, except one wore blue and the other wore pink."

The hand hummed. "I could be wrong, but those two might be-"

"Oh right!" Shulk cut in suddenly. "There was also another person. A green guy."

"Please!" The hand huffed, a little peeved at being interrupted. "If you want me to help you, then I'm going to need something a lot more helpful than-"

"He was really awkward to be around. I almost didn't remember him at first."

The hand snapped his fingers, creating such a loud sound it actually dazed Shulk a bit. "I've got it! I know _exactly_ who you're talking about! There's literally no one else I could mistake him for! And what a stroke of luck too. I just happened to run into him not too long ago."

"W-Who is it then?" Shulk asked, trying to shake off the ringing in his ears.

"You'll see soon enough! Now listen closely. If you head north from here, you'll come across a great cave system that was once used for mining. Actually," He snapped his fingers once more, thankfully more quietly this time. Materializing in another cloud of smoke was a small, aged map rolled up in a bundle. "Why not just take this? I'm sure... Haha... I'm sure it will be of great help to you." He said, trying hard not to laugh at something.

The map hovered in front of Shulk. Though a little suspicious of the hand's behavior, he took it."Thank you."

"Yes, yes, you're quite welcome. Well, I'm afraid that's all the time I have to spare with you. Mansions to find and all." He rose from his chair and waved goodbye to him. "Have fun saving the world! I would say that we'd likely never meet again, but knowing how these things work out, we most certainly will." Before Shulk could respond, the glove disappeared from sight with another snap of his fingers, taking his chair along with him.

All that was left was him and a field of flowers. He stood there in silence for awhile. Looking back, the whole exchange seemed more than just a little crazy. The only proof that it had actually taken place was the scrap of paper in his hand.

Saving the world. Shulk didn't have a clue why that hand seemed so adamant that he had some grand quest to go on. _I just want to know what I'm doing out here. My memories... What happened...?_ He shook his head. Should he follow that hand's advice? Regardless of the whole 'quest' thing, those people he saw in his vision may very well hold some clues about his past. "I guess I don't have much of a choice then."

 _Might as well check out this map._ He undid the string around its middle and unfurled it, only to sigh at what he saw. The map was completely blank. _So that's what he was laughing about... Huh?_ Written in small print in one of the corners was a message:

 _This magical map fills in by itself as you discover new places. Not as convenient as a regular one, sure, but hey! It's magical! Happy travels ;)_

 _-Sincerely, Master Hand_

He shook his head. Whatever this quest was, he was certain it was going to be a long one.

* * *

 **And so begins what is sure to be the most stupid fic I will ever write. Whoo.**

 **Because why not, here is the Stuff we found in this chapter:**

 _ **Mysterious Sword- A crimson colored sword that's both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Further examination may be needed on this one...**_

 _ **Magical Map- A map that's also magical. Its usefulness is... debatable.**_

 **I just felt like writing item descriptions, okay? Gotta make this authentic. Next step, write out every random encounter in excruciating detail.** _ **Oh, I can hear your excitement~**_

 **Well, that's all for this chapter. See you next time. If you want to stick around for this trainwreck anyway. Hey, I'll appreciate it!**


	2. Exposition: The Chapter

**Wow, I wasn't expecting such a big response. Many thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

 **GenericPseudonym- I guess it wouldn't be fair to say that this is my first fic (though it kinda feels like it). I do have another account, but I don't really update it much anymore. I wanted to start over on a clean slate, hence why I'm using a new one. Glad you liked Master Hand's portrayal! I'm finding him to be a pretty fun character to write.**

 **LegoutArlert- All my years of playing RPGs are finally paying off. I know all the cliches now!**

 **Retronym- Thanks a bunch!**

 **Mikaela Vermillion Hyakuya- I'm rather fond of the title too. Alliteration makes me so happy. Speaking of Awakening, the waking up in a field scene in the first chapter was kind of a nod to it, though I was originally going to be more in your face about it, having Master Hand directly quote a bit of it (I couldn't find a good place for it though). Speaking of which, this whole fic's probably going to be littered with references to random RPGs. Aaaand I'm rambling.**

 **Cheese X-14- I'm so confused...?**

 **Mop in Ur Closet- Ah, sorry. I can be a bit of a downer on myself sometimes, especially when it comes to my writing, though a lot of the time I mean it as a joke. Thank you though, your words helped give me a little boost. Also, I hope Shulk survives too...**

 **Well, let's move onto the chapter now. I'm not too happy with how it turned out, probably because it's kind of an exposition dump (as you may have guessed by the title...), but we need to get it out of the way sometime. We'll have another explain-y chapter again in a few, but after that, I think we'll be good!**

* * *

At least an hour had passed since his whimsical encounter with the magic, talking glove. An hour of nothing but wandering through a seemingly endless stretch of green plains. Now that he had some time to himself to think, he realized how completely irresponsible it was of Master Hand to ditch him like that, especially considering his condition. He had mentioned that they'd probably meet again at some point, but Shulk sincerely hoped they wouldn't. That guy was kind of a jerk.

He thought a little more about that vision he had. Well, now that he thought about it, he supposed there was no way to actually tell if it was a vision or a memory of his past, but somehow, he couldn't get the word 'vision' out of his head. The vision itself hadn't gotten any clearer in the past hour. If anything, it had actually gotten blurrier, as if it were being covered up by some black void. It was frustrating to say the least.

Thin trails of smoke rose into the sky far in the distance, cutting him out of his thoughts. Curious, Shulk picked up his pace to see what was going on. That curiosity soon shifted into alarm at what he stumbled on. The grassy plains abruptly transitioned into a gray wasteland of ash, the leftovers of a very recent fire. Smoke still rose from the heated ground and the charred remains of a tree to his left still held glowing embers in its bark. He continued on uncertainly, kicking up clouds of ash with every step. _I don't think I'm supposed to be here_. He coughed, accidentally breathing in a lungful of smoke. _Just what happened...?_

As he went on, he noticed something embedded in the ash and stopped to examine it. It was a footprint, albeit very small one. It was one of many that went straight to his right. _So someone else is here..._ He thought, following them. _Maybe they can help me out._

It wasn't long later when he found the footprint's owner, and what an odd owner it was. He was a very short male, Shulk couldn't quite deduce his age, though he didn't seem to be too old, wearing what could only be described as a space suit with a bubble shaped helmet. An antenna ending with a glowing blue light sprouted from the top of the helmet, matching his gloves, life support pack, and even the tuft of hair on his head in color. Even stranger were the two pink creatures flying around him. Both had what appeared to be plant-like stems growing out of their heads. One's even ended with a purple flower, while the other's ended with a purple bud. They were all facing away from him, so Shulk's presence went unnoticed.

Shulk stepped forward, about to say something, only to pause when he heard the little astronaut begin to speak.

"Ugh... How awful... The fire spread further than we thought..." He pulled out a strange, rectangular device with a screen in the middle. He brought it up to his face and began snapping photos of the scorched fields. "Mario's not going to like hearing about this."

The two creatures squeaked sadly in agreement.

"Do you know what happened here?" Shulk found himself blurting out, startling all three of them.

The little guy spun around, blinking at him in confusion. "Huh? Where did...? Er, well, there was a fire here, as you can see... Probably the fifth or sixth one we've had in the past few weeks. They've been causing a lot of trouble as you can guess." He turned back to his device, his brow furrowing. "If only we could figure out who or what's been causing them..." He shook his head and looked back to Shulk. "But what are you doing here? This place isn't really supposed to be open to the public."

"I was told to come out here to find some sort of mining cave. Do you think you could help me out?"

"A mining cave..." His eyes lit up in realization. "Oh! You must mean the Great Cave Offensive. Yes, the entrance to the cave should be around here somewhere, a few minutes walk at most. It was in range of the fire, but I don't think it did any damage."

Shulk glanced around. The land was flat for miles around them, not including the snow capped mountains far in the distance. In that case... "I take it the cave is actually underground then."

"That's right. The entrance is actually a straight pit down. But still," his expression turned doubtful, "why do you need to go there? That stage is still under heavy construction. It's not going to be ready for another few months at least."

"What do you mean by 'stage'? I thought it was a mining cave."

"It was, but now it's going to be remodeled as a stage for the big tournament! You should know what I'm talking about. The Smash Brothers Tournament."

Shulk shook his head. "No, I've actually never heard of it."

The astronaut blinked in shock. "What?! But everyone's heard of it... Wait, just hold on." He started to tap away on that device of his. "I'll Moogle Search it for you. That should ring some bells." He brought a webpage that was completely blank save for the word 'Moogle' in its center. Little, fluffy white creatures with purple wings and red pom poms protruding from their heads floated around the word. He seemed a little disturbed by them. "What even are these things."

Shulk leaned down and looked over the astronaut's shoulder, taking an interest in the controller-like device he was holding. "What a interesting piece of technology..."

He paused to look at him, seeming quite pleased with the statement. "Isn't it? It's called a KopPad, it's one of the latest advancements in Koppai technology. I don't mean to brag or anything, but Koppaite engineering is some of the best there is!" A little red battery icon started to flash in one of the screen's corners. Soon after, the display started to flicker and dim. "...Now if only we could somehow improve its battery life." He smacked it a few times until the image cleared up. "Stupid thing."

He continued on with his internet search, quickly coming across a promotional picture featuring a stoutly man in red, a swordsman clothed in green, a yellow mouse, and a pink puffball locked in combat. "There we go! Look familiar?"

It looked absolutely bizarre to him. "Not at all."

"So you really don't know... How odd." He turned off the KopPad and put it away. Behind him, the little pink creatures settled down and roosted on his life support pack. "Well, I guess I'd better explain it to you then. The Smash Tournament is one of this planet's biggest and most esteemed events, taking place only once every couple of years. There are about thirty or so fighters, called 'Smashers'. Most are big name heroes, though some are actually villains. Regardless, all of them are very highly looked up to. As you can imagine, when the time comes around, people get very excited. 'Being totally hyped' is a phrase that is generally used I believe, usually in conjunction with the riding of metaphorical locomotives and the overall preparedness of one's body."

"...What?"

"I don't quite understand that part either. Anyways, the battles always take place on 'stages', like the one you're going to. Typically the fights are presented in a four person free for all format, though occasionally Doubles and One and One formats are used instead. They're all very exciting to watch though!" He tapped the side of his helmet in thought. "I think that about covers it. Perhaps now you can answer my question. Why exactly do you need to go to that stage? You know, it's part of my job to make sure people who aren't affiliated with the tourney in some way don't go wandering back here. If you don't have a good reason, I may have to escort you out."

He didn't know anywhere close to enough information to lie his way out, so Shulk just answered honestly."I'm not really sure myself. I think there's someone there I need to meet. I've lost most of my memory, and that person may have been someone I once knew... At least, I hope so."

"You lost your memory? Really?" He pondered this for moment before accepting the answer. "Well, that would certainly explain some things. I guess if it could help you out, then maybe I'll just pretend I never saw you... Though, honestly, I'd really recommend seeking medical attention instead... " He shook his head, dismissing the thought. "Well, just be careful down there. While it wasn't supposed to, I've recently heard the reconstruction has stirred up the local wildlife into a frenzy. In other words, you're likely bound to run into a few bad apples. Since your memory's a little fuzzy, do you want me to explain the basics of fighting?"

The sword strapped to Shulk's back almost seemed to hum with power, as if it were reminding him of its presence.. _That's right! Maybe this guy may know something about it. I'd better hear him out._

* * *

 _Greetings again, dear player! This will likely be one of the last times you hear from me. Well, directly anyways. It would be kind of annoying if I kept popping into this story every few seconds, y'know? Now, let's get down to business. Would you like to hear a tutorial on the basics of fight-_

No.

 _W-Wait a minute! Are you sure? This is actually_ really _impor-_

No no no no no no

 _Will you let me-_

No no no NO NO NO NO

* * *

" _NO NO NO_ -" Shulk practically screamed like he was possessed or something. Once he realized what he was doing, he quickly covered his mouth with his hands.

Slightly afraid, the Koppaite stared at him wide eyed in shock, the little pink creatures on his back quivering in fear. "You... You only had to say it once. And you didn't have to shout either..."

Mortified, Shulk tried to apologize, "Look, I'm sorry. I don't know what-"

"Well, for someone with amnesia, you seem pretty sure of yourself, so I'll just let you go on your way. According to my map, the cave should be about five minutes southeast of... here...? Hmm?"

"About that whole thing on fighting-" Shulk trailed off when he noticed he wasn't paying any attention to him. Instead, something in the distance seemed to have caught his eye.

Shulk turned around to follow his gaze, only to find a rock. A rock that was running towards them, in defiance of all things rock-like. Bewildered, he stepped back as it dashed by and grabbed the astronaut's hand, tugging on it persistently.

"Rocky? What are you doing by yourself?" he asked it.

It looked up to him with its beady eyes and let out a series of squeaks and chirps, the leaf on its stem twitching impatiently.

He gasped. "What?! It's been that long already? We better get moving then!"

Rocky nodded in agreement and turned to march back to where it came from when it finally noticed Shulk standing there. It squeaked in shock before shuffling behind the astronaut, timidly peering out from behind his arm.

"It's okay, Rocky, he seems friendly enough... When he's not shouting his head off anyways," he added quietly before looking back to Shulk. "Sorry. I'd go with you, but I need to be heading off to the Garden of Hope. I'm one of the Stage Hands there, you see. Basically, our job is to work behind the scenes during matches to make sure everything's working right, and since some of the Smashers are going to be testing out the stage today, we really need to get back to our ship and get going."

Realizing he wasn't going to get anymore out of him about fighting, Shulk sighed and let it go. "All right... Thanks for your help."

"No problem!" he chirped. "The Stage Hands for the Great Cave Offensive are these round creatures called Waddle Dees. A bunch of them are working down there right now. They're friendly, so it might be a good idea to try talking to them if you get lost. Good luck, and be careful on your way down!" Giving him a friendly wave goodbye, he and his little friends went on their way, following their footsteps back to wherever they started.

Now armed with some actual directions, Shulk started southeast. At first, he kept a careful eye out for the cave's entrance, not wanting to fall into it by accident, but eventually his thoughts began to wander as he took in the ashy fields. _That fire really did a number on this place._ _According to that astronaut guy, this fire had been one of many_. A still smoking tree branch to his right caught his attention as he walked. _It looks like it wasn't all that long ago either. I wonder what caused it? I doubt it was the weather._ The weather was cool, even more so than the meadow he started in thanks to the cold winds blowing down from the mountains. _In that case, what- Huh?_

He froze, slowly looking down. At some point, the ground beneath him was replaced with nothing. Just a solid pit of nothing sat right below him. _...I should have seen this coming. Why didn't I see this coming._ Those were his last thoughts before he plummeted into the earth.

* * *

A muffled 'oof!' escaped his throat as he landed in a pile of dirt. Despite it being quite a ways he had fallen, luckily he didn't feel injured. Unluckily, though, he happened to land on his face.

Pushing himself up, he spat out a mouthful of dirt and looked around. He had ended up in a cramped, earthy tunnel. Various mining supplies littered the ground, from pickaxes to helmets to even an overturned mine cart. Bright daylight seeped in from the hole above, though Shulk knew it was far too high up to exit through. Ahead, a softer light illuminated the end of the tunnel. Seeing no other alternative, he went towards it.

What awaited on the other side came as quite a shock to him. The soil underfoot gave way to grass, and the enclosed walls of the tunnel opened up to a green field of trees and exotic plants. Shulk brought his gaze up to the sky, or rather, the ceiling, confirming that he was still below ground. Thin sunbeams poured in from gaps in the cave's roof, which he assumed supported the underground jungle. _I_ _never expected something like this to be down here..._ Feeling lost already, he debated on calling for help when he heard a small commotion to his left.

"...So what should we do with him?" a somewhat high-pitched voice asked.

"Maybe we should go get some help..." a similar sounding voice responded. "This guy doesn't look like he wants to leave the cart anytime soon..."

Following the voices, Shulk pushed his way through some bushes and found the source of the ruckus. Two round, reddish-orange creatures with tan faces, rosy cheeks and no visible mouths to speak of sat debating around a mine cart. One held a pickaxe and the other held a torch. He assumed they were the Waddle Dees he heard about.

"Excuse me?" he said, getting their attention. "Do you guys think you could help me? I'm looking for someone."

"Well, we _found_ someone!" the Waddle Dee with the torch said. "The problem is, he won't come out of the cart..."

"He's just sitting in there, shaking like a leaf." the other agreed. "Maybe you could try talking to him? Unless you count the pitiful whimpers, he hasn't responded to anything we've said." He stepped aside to let him through.

Shulk walked up to the cart (which was visibly shaking) and peered in. Inside, he found a mustached man wearing a green shirt and blue overalls cowering with his hat pulled down over his eyes. "Uh... Hello?"

"H-Huh?" The man pulled his hat up and made eye contact with him for a second, then another, before screaming. He accidentally bumped his back against the side of the cart with enough force to knock it over. "A-Ack!" he screamed again as he was dumped ungracefully onto the ground.

Shulk just stood there not knowing what to say.

"...So. Is this the guy you were looking for?" The pickaxe Waddle Dee asked.

Shulk looked at him. _Well, he certainly is green. And awkward._ "Probably."

"'Kay. We'll just leave him to you then." He turned to the other Waddle Dee. "Let's get back to work."

"Right."

They both left through the bushes. Shulk swore he heard one say something about 'being glad they won't have to put up with that walking disaster anymore.' Shrugging, he turned to the green man. "Are you okay?"

He had pulled his hat over his eyes again. "A-Are they gone?"

"You mean the Waddle Dees? They just left."

The green guy lifted his hat and glanced around before relaxing. "Whew... I thought they were never going to leave..."

"Why were you so scared of them? They seemed pretty friendly to me."

"I... I have a bit of a Waddle Dee phobia. Ever since I fell down here, it's been like a waking nightmare!" He sighed, slumping his shoulders.

Shulk thought it was a rather strange phobia to have, but something inside of him told him he wasn't one to judge. Changing the subject, he asked him for his name.

"My name? It's, uhh," he paused, trying to remember. "Ummm..." He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. "Hrmmm..." He opened his eyes again, looking confused. "I'm... That One Guy?"

"That One Guy?"

"Yeah... No wait! I mean, my name is uhh," He snapped his fingers, "Luigi! That's it! Luigi, number two! ...Number two..." He then sighed again, looking as if he just depressed himself.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, number two. My name is Shulk," _This guy looks like he's a match for the person I saw..._ An idea popped into his head. "You don't happen to recognise me, do you?"

Luigi tilted his head, trying to remember. "Hmm... No? I don't think we've met before."

"I see, my mistake then." _He doesn't know me. So, what I saw... Was it a vision of the future?_ Shulk turned his attention back the plumber, noticing that he seemed a little distressed. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, it's just... Today we were supposed to be testing out one of the new stages. I've been waiting here for hours, but none of the other Smashers ever showed up!" He huffed. "Did they forget or something?"

Shulk put a hand on his chin. _Testing out a new stage? I think I know where this is going..._ "I think you might have the wrong stage. From what I heard, the stage that's supposed to be tested today was called 'The Garden of Hope'."

"The... The _what?!_ Where did you hear that?!"

How was he supposed to say this without it sounding strange? "A, uh, little blue astronaut told me."

"Oh, you mean one of those little alien guys... I gotcha." Luigi said as if it was one of the most normal things in the world. Shulk, on the other hand...

 _Wait... That guy... That guy was an alien?!_ Okay, the glove he was able to accept with some effort, but now things were just starting to get a little too crazy. It was enough to make him question everything. Was he really suffering from memory loss, or was it something else? Were those burning fields supposed to be symbolic, like his subconsciousness was trying to tell him something? Was he... _on_ something?

Blissfully unaware of Shulk's internal crisis, Luigi continued, "Well, if he said so, it's probably true then... I wonder if they noticed I'm missing? Knowing them, and knowing _me_..." he sighed, deflating. "Probably not. Still, what am I supposed to do now?" He looked at Shulk expectantly, only to find him staring off into space. "Uh, hello?"

Shulk jumped. "Oh, uh, shouldn't you be heading off to the Garden of Hope then? I'm guessing you know the way out. I mean, you wouldn't jump in here without knowing that, right?" he asked. Not like he was one to talk though.

"I actually don't know how to get out of here..." Luigi admitted sheepishly. "I didn't intend to jump in though! I swear, it felt like I was _pushed_ in by _someone_ with a _giant hand_. I have no idea who that could be, though."

 _A guy with a giant hand...?_ Shulk thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. _Nope, definitely don't know anyone who matches that description._ Yup, he definitely didn't. _  
_

"But that's not the main problem here!" Luigi shouted, finally getting up on his feet. "When I fell in, I lost my Poltergust 5000! People were always telling me how weird and unsettling my old Final Smash was last tournament, so I was really looking forward to showing my new one off..." A fire lit up in his blue eyes. "I can't leave until I find it! You'll help me, right buddy?"

While he had no idea what half the things he said were, Shulk found himself nodding. "All right, I'll help you out. Who knows, maybe we'll find the exit while we're at it!"

"Good idea! I'll even lead the way! Letsa-go!" Luigi randomly picked a direction and started walking... Only to promptly trip on a rock and fall on his face. "Oww, my nose..."

Carefully, Shulk stepped around him. "I think I see a path through the trees up ahead. Just follow me, okay?"

"O-Okie dokie..."

* * *

 **We got a new party member! *Cue trumpet fanfare***

 **Luigi joins the party! I'd imagine he'd probably be the team mascot or something (because he only wishes he was actually Nintendo's mascot). Probably the hardest part was coming up with a silly name for him. It was basically a game of 'What name** _ **hasn't**_ **Luigi been called already?' Alternatively, I debated on just naming him 'Butts'. If this were actually a game, I like to imagine it being played by an immature twelve year old anyway.**

 **I don't have much else to say, other than Alph why do you have to talk so much. That was not supposed to go on for so long.** _ **Are you happy now?**_

 **I'll end this chapter off with two questions! First, what's your favorite RPG? Personally, that's a pretty hard question for me to answer, since I've been playing those darn games since before I could even read (which... lead to problems, as you can imagine...) I'd say some of my favorites are Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Xenoblade Chronicles (I know! Real shocker, right?!). I thought Tales of Vesperia was pretty fun too. Until my brother broke the disc. Followed by the Xbox 360 breaking itself. Then the other Xbox 360 breaking itself. GGs Microsoft.**

 **Second, do you prefer chapters around this size (~4500 words) or ones like the previous one (~2500)? I'm not sure how well I'll be able to accommodate, just curious though.**


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